"After 18 months of retirement, I would have said yes to anything," Butler told Billboard. "After Sabbath finished, I just wanted to take time off and wake up every day and think, 'Oh, great, I've got nothing to do today.' That was okay for a year. After I put on about 20 pounds and watched every TV show there was, I just went nuts."

Black Sabbath took its final bow in February of 2017. Butler said he spent "a couple months" afterwards not playing music at all.

After a while longer he started considering another solo album. But before he got too deep into a solo project, former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum called him to talk about a band he was putting together with Franky Perez and Steve Stevens.

The four got together for a lengthy dinner, and by the end of it Deadland Ritual had formed.